2010 cost for the 12 Days of Christmas - US$96,824

[Candlelight]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/money/4404696/The-cost-of-12-days-of-Xmas

In the unlikely event that your Christmas list this year includes every item mentioned in The Twelve Days of Christmas, be prepared to pay nearly US$100,000.
Trying to buy the 364 items repeated in all the song's verses - from 12 drummers drumming to a partridge in a pear tree - would cost US$96,824, an increase of 10.8 percent over last year, according to the annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management.
So you might want to try for one of everything. That would cost only US$23,439, or 9.2 percent more than last year.
Only four of the 12 gifts in the song didn't go up in price from last year: the pear tree (US$149, not including the partridge), four calling birds (US$599.96), six geese (US$150) and the eight maids-a-milking (US$58).
The most expensive item on the list was US$6,294.03 to hire nine ladies dancing, a 15 percent increase from last year. The cheapest was US$12 for one patridge, a 20 percent increase.

Damn. I really felt like my household needed nine ladies dancing too.

Maybe I could afford six of them.

 

[Jetfire]

All I would need is the nine ladies dancing.

 

[tharpdevenport]

Pft -- folks in a budget could do better:


Twelve drummers drumming:
Scholl band -- have practice at your house.

Eleven pipers piping:
Same.

Ten lords a-leaping:
Finds ten guys who dressed as Jesus on Halloween, ask them over, give them each ten bucks, and tell them to just leap away.

Nine ladies dancing:
Christmas dance party.

Eight maids a-milking:
Find a farm. Take a camera with you.

Seven swans a-swimming:
Find a lake.

Six geese a-laying:
Two birds with one stone -- while you're also at the farm...

Five golden rings:
Custome jewlry (the song didn't say the gold had to be REAL...).

Four colly birds:
Throw some bread crubs out into your yard. Might get some.

Three French hens:
Again, the song didn't say alive ... make a trip down to a butcher market. This will be hte msot expensive thing, actually.

Two turtle doves:
Probably got some in your yard's trees right now. Scratch that one off the list.

And a partridge in a pear tree!
Craigslist. Find someone who has a partridge. Rent it for the day.
Star growing a pear tree now and next Christmas there it will be in your yard.

What are we talking about here? $300 bucks?

 

[Miss Chicken]

Is the milking ever done by maids in this day and age?

 

[Sparky]

[/QUOTE]Damn. I really felt like my household needed nine ladies dancing too.

Maybe I could afford six of them.[/QUOTE]

Save some money and don't get them clothes.

 

[thestrangequark]

Four colly birds:
Throw some bread crubs out into your yard. Might get some.

Colly bird?

 

[auntiehill]

^tharp, that's calling birds. Unless they have colic or look like Lassie....

Those making the price list forgot to add the resulting lawsuit for harassment, damage to property and fees from inevitable "disturbing the peace" citations.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Is the milking ever done by maids in this day and age?

A quick search on the Internet has reveled that i will now have to eraser my internet search history after searching for this.

 

[Holdfast]

How did they price up the lords-a-leaping?

The going rate to bribe a Peer to do anything these days is significantly higher than they think, more's the pity...

 

[Miss Chicken]

Now I have visions of Lord Richard Attenborough leaping around - the poor old guy.